I saw them, but there seems to be some regional issues with a site like that... Some of their best aren't around here in regular stores.

I used frontier from Lowes. It hasn't been terrible, though I've only had experience with one brand. My complaint is the lump size is too small through the majority of it.

I also read royal oak isn't bad... So long as its usa origin.

7/13/2014 6:23:51 PM

there's one that site recommends that you can buy online and even with shipping the price beats a lot of brands. don't remember the name.

7/13/2014 9:08:12 PM

^^ I had the same issue with the Frontier brand. I estimate about 15% of the bag was pieces smaller than a couple of inches (most fell right through my chimney starter). Im at the bottom of the bag now and there are no usable pieces left. Not sure what Ill try next but Im saving these small pieces to toss over an existing burn.

The one positive has been how well Frontier has burned with minimal ash. Ive used less than one full bag and Ive grilled full meals for guests at least 6 times. The efficiency is excellent.

[Edited on July 13, 2014 at 10:36 PM. Reason : a]

7/13/2014 10:34:02 PM

Especially on low and slow. I did robs for 3 hours, and barely made a dent in it.

I'm going to try to get rockwood lump, 20# bag for $16/ea, minimum of two bags.

7/15/2014 4:45:43 PM

Womp, $40 shipping on 2 bags. Fuck that.

7/15/2014 9:07:19 PM

I want to make a grilled cheese on the grill.

7/15/2014 10:14:15 PM

i made one for my daughter the other day. i stole most of it.

7/15/2014 10:39:27 PM

^^i did it once. it was excellent. it was actually pimento cheese and bacon on some kind of fancy bread that i brushed with olive oil.

7/16/2014 5:07:48 PM

damn that sounds delicious

7/16/2014 10:02:12 PM

http://slickdeals.net/f/7076910-maverick-et-733-wireless-thermometer-for-54-99-ivation-iva-wlthemr-for-44-99-with-15-off-promo-codes?src=pdw&v=1

7/21/2014 2:39:05 PM

I just wanted to say...that NeuseRiverRat's shit looks delicious. I hope to one day be able to grill and smoke as good as him. At the same time...I feel like if I cooked shit like that on a regular basis...I would probably have a heart attack in about 5 years. That's a lot of fucking food.

This thread did inspire me to junk my gas grill. I thought I'd have difficult with the charcoal, but it didn't really take that long to get it down. I feel like I've got a pretty good eye and feel for the temperature of meat...and other than the first couple times, I've been cooking my shit to perfection. Only issues I've had is when my wife wants to throw a bunch of veggies on there. I love grilled veggies, but I'm not wasting a shit ton of charcoal so she can have grilled asparagus with every damn meal. Throw that shit in the oven and roast it.

7/21/2014 4:16:49 PM

If you wanna get better on the grill I'd suggest you invest some time reading this site - http://amazingribs.com/

Great explanations, advice and recipes.

7/21/2014 4:29:14 PM

The Egg Grill Prevailed (over severe thunderstorm)

7/24/2014 7:47:43 PM

you heard it from me first....
http://www.traderjoes.com/digin/post/bbq-seasoning-with-coffee-garlic

8/5/2014 1:23:58 AM

^do you have a better recipe? i have no trader joes close and that sound damn good.

8/5/2014 9:42:53 AM

I'm doing a BBQ competition at my neighborhood pool club this weekend. They're providing the butts Thursday night, and we're cooking the following evening.

8/5/2014 9:49:38 AM

Picked up a bag of Royal Oak to replace my Frontier charcoal and Royal Oak has smaller pieces than Frontier did. Royal Oak does have a great mix of wood though and the bag smelled wonderful!

8/5/2014 1:38:30 PM

What temperature do you all cook pork and poultry to?

8/5/2014 9:07:06 PM

tender cuts of pork like chops, loin, and tenderloin get removed from the grill at 140 for a carryover peak of 145 deg F. it's ok for pork to be just a little pink in the middle. don't worry.

chicken gets pulled from the grill at 160 for a carryover peak of 165 deg F.

8/5/2014 9:13:49 PM

I just pulled my chops off at 145 and they seemed a bit overcooked Need to get it off a bit earlier next time.

8/5/2014 9:16:23 PM

also remember that the thicker the cut, the more carryover cooking you'll get

8/5/2014 9:34:27 PM

http://www.wral.com/beware-the-grill-brush-loose-bristles-can-lodge-in-food/13872484/

8/6/2014 10:15:15 PM

although i spoke a little too soon it seems...forgot the chop was bone-in and the meat closer to the bone was perfect

^^ 10-4. any advice for my "competition" this weekend? I put that word in quotes since it's a silly little neighborhood thing and probably rigged anyway.

8/6/2014 10:29:01 PM

I was doing some reading about a diy charcoal kiln, using nested steel drums. I don't have space to do something like this, I wish I did. Does anyone want to give it a go? It'd be cool if we could make enough to support everyone in the thread.

8/7/2014 10:27:54 AM

not worth the effort, imo

^^no real advice. just rub the thing and smoke it. don't start too early so that you have to bring the thing inside and keep it warm in the oven. try to time it so that you pull it a couple hours before "turn-in time" and just double wrap in foil and put it in a cooler with towels.

[Edited on August 7, 2014 at 1:18 PM. Reason : fdas]

8/7/2014 1:15:00 PM

i think it'll be fun. sounds like people make some all sorts of other shit and pass it around during the cooking the pork. plus, beer. we'll see...

8/7/2014 1:19:54 PM

those peice of shit grill brushes must be a huge problem these days

i have noticed a few of mine coming apart but threw them away and made sure there was no bristles on my grate

8/7/2014 3:20:58 PM

I always buy the cheapest ones I can find...guess I've got lucky so far.

[Edited on August 7, 2014 at 3:29 PM. Reason : ^^^ thanks! any advantage to rubbing 24 hours in advance?]

8/7/2014 3:28:16 PM

I always use the brush, then the hard scraper, then the soft pad/steel wool looking thing. Never any issues

8/7/2014 3:43:09 PM

^^no, i don't think so. i usually rub a few hours before.

8/7/2014 4:45:28 PM

^6 it could be, if you can get larger lump sizes, or better burning lump.

8/7/2014 6:46:59 PM

the Nature Glo i'm using works great and is priced right

8/7/2014 6:51:31 PM

Went to pick up the butt shoulder and we decided to postpone the competition until next weekend.

The actually bought those Smithfield shoulders vacuum packed with the salt solution Sell-by date is 2 weeks from now!

Imma cook that thing this weekend and get some fresh pork for the actual competition.

8/8/2014 11:33:10 AM

Gross

8/8/2014 11:38:51 AM

Do you ever do a glaze on your butts, or just rub+smoke+ENC sauce?


[Edited on August 8, 2014 at 12:54 PM. Reason : also have you ever tried injecting out? any difference?]

8/8/2014 12:46:06 PM

I've glazed a few butts in my lifetime.

8/8/2014 1:17:15 PM

Injections are fine but I wouldn't glaze. As NRR has said before, the more sugar in the rub, the more blackened it's going to get also.

8/8/2014 1:50:13 PM

Went down to Nahunta to scope their butts, hoping to find an 8-10 lb bone-in butt, and the largest they ever have is 5 lbs...I wonder why that is.

What are some other good pork sources?

8/8/2014 2:30:32 PM

i've never gotten a bad one from Sam's Club.

8/8/2014 4:40:05 PM

Did you go to Nahunta at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh? I would suggest you call them up in Nahunta, NC and ask that they get a big one and put it on the truck for you. They run a truck to Raleigh pretty much every day.

8/8/2014 9:49:16 PM

Baller advice. Thanks dude. I really wanna get my pork from there...

I will say I was watching this BBQ competition video earlier (Jack Daniels "World Championship") and the guy they were featuring used cryopak'ed butts, but I don't know if the salt solution was in there or not. Honestly I'm not sure it was with my Smithfield shoulder as I couldn't find anything on the packaging, but I can only assume it was there.

I tried injecting this thing (post rub ) just for fun. We'll see tomorrow...

8/8/2014 10:08:38 PM

they have good meat, but it's not anything you can't get in plenty of other places in eastern NC.

you may have to buy a few butts to get them to do that. that's fine. they freeze great.

not all the vac packed butts are packed in solution. if they don't say something like "enhanced" or "in solution" or anything along those lines, then they are good to go.

i don't think injecting a butt hurts anything, but i just don't think it's necessary. there's so much fat in there that you shouldn't have trouble keeping it moist and the fat brings tons of flavor. i always laugh when folks on those bbq comp shows talk about a flavor profile. my flavor profile for pork butt is pork and smoke with a tasty bark. bbq is simple food. keep it that way. that time and money you're spending on injecting should go towards beer to drink while the smoke does the flavoring for you.

[Edited on August 8, 2014 at 10:20 PM. Reason : afds]

8/8/2014 10:15:26 PM

I just don't wanna drive a hour or something to get the meat. I got a whole hog from Ole Time once so that might be my next contact if I don't hear about any other options in the triangle-ish area.

Yeah the injecting thing seems like it's done nearly exclusively by competition people. The Amazing Ribs guy(s) say you can use it/should test it if you're competing, but just be sure not to use strong flavors so you don't overpower the taste of the pork. I won't probably end up doing it but I tried it out for this cook.


[Edited on August 8, 2014 at 10:25 PM. Reason : ^ little but of apple juice water sugar and worcestershire sauce don't cost much ]

8/8/2014 10:21:11 PM

it takes you an hour to drive to the farmer's market?

what about the meathouse in cary?

8/8/2014 10:22:20 PM

the last butts i bought were from Lowe's foods. i caught them on sale for $.89 or $.99/lb, don't remember. bought a pile of them. they were Smithfield brand in vac packs and weighed about 8 or 8.5 lbs each. they were excellent. i think i'm out of them now

8/8/2014 10:23:24 PM

^ so those had no solution right?

^^ huh? i'm saying i went to Nahunta at the farmers market and they were too small. all the other meat vendors there are $texas^2. not a fan of the meathouse. that place is fucking expensive...like $12/pound sirloin expensive. i can't imagine how much they would charge for the piece of meat i want.

V sweet that means this one probably doesn't have it either. i might hit up my local lowes foods and see what they have...

[Edited on August 8, 2014 at 10:30 PM. Reason : ]

8/8/2014 10:26:05 PM

yeah, no solution. i actually prefer them in the vac bags like that. allows me to skip the foodsaver and take them straight to the freezer.

8/8/2014 10:28:12 PM

NRR/others - When cooking butts:

1- Do you put anything on the meat before the the rub to help it adhere? I tried oil on my last cook on the recommendation of AmazingRibs but, predictably, the meat was too oily after pulling. Mustard is often recommended, but that scares me, even though everyone says you can't taste it in the final product. Additionally it just seems wrong...

2 - Do you wrap the butt in foil at any point, and if so when?

3 - When your butt has reached the desired temperature, is there any downside to setting your oven at 195-203 degrees and holding the meat there, as opposed to wrapping in foil and throwing in a cooler with towels?

4 - What temp do you normally pull at?

8/15/2014 5:53:11 PM

Quote :

"Mustard is often recommended, but that scares me, even though everyone says you can't taste it in the final product."

You really cant taste the mustard at the end, the oil will cook off too if you are slow cooking, either way is fine its just preference. Mustard will make more a bark on your pork shoulder.

8/15/2014 6:09:55 PM

Maybe I'll try the mustard...I likes my bark. I did wrap my butt after a few hours of smoking last time so perhaps that trapped some of the oil.

8/15/2014 6:11:23 PM